George was later put down because of his injuries.
His heroism did not go unnoticed - George received two posthumous medals, a bravery award from the Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals and a Purple Heart medal awarded to American Vietnam War veteran Jerrell Hudman, who was moved by the tale of the dog's sacrifice after reading of it on the internet.
And in October, a bronze statue was unveiled in the Manaia town centre in memory of the brave little pooch.
Another canine who made the ultimate sacrifice this year was police dog Enzo, a German shepherd who drowned during the pursuit of an offender in the Bay of Plenty in August.
Enzo, 3, was described as a great little dog by his handler, Constable Kayne Cording, who was shattered by the death of his "wee mate".
The dog had been sent into dense bush to help arrest 27-year-old Tairyn Murphy.
Mr Cording's concerns were raised when his dog's bark fell silent, and his worst fears were proven right when Enzo's lifeless body was found by a stream two hours later.
Murphy denies killing Enzo and will stand trial next year.
The currently incarcerated gang member engaged in some canine activity himself - in December he was again in court, for allegedly biting off part of the ear of a fellow Waikeria Prison inmate.
Murphy reportedly told prison officers he "gave him a Mike Tyson". He has also denied this charge and will stand trial in February.
Other dogs injured while serving on the thin blue line included one of the country's top police dogs, Cane, victim of a savage knife attack in Rotorua in July.
Cane recovered from the attack, but was discharged from the force to enjoy early retirement as a result of his injuries.
And Edge, a police dog who almost died last year after being stabbed, proved it is not only cats who have nine lives when he found himself in the wars again this year.
Edge was bitten by an armed robbery suspect in February, but recovered fully after a blood transfusion from a greyhound.
A feline proven to have several lives up his paw was Lucky, a tabby kitten found playing chicken on a busy Auckland motorway in January.
Police temporarily blocked off a road leading into Auckland Airport to retrieve the kitten, which had been spotted dodging cars for an hour.
Christened Lucky, the cat was rescued without real harm, and police received dozens of offers to give him a good home.
And in June, a 13-year-old bitzer dog named Bingo made headlines for surviving a freezing cold dip and a night in the open after he leapt off a boat a nautical mile off Waiheke Island.
Bingo was possibly contemplating swimming with dolphins when he took the potentially suicidal plunge, his dog-sitter said.
But he would have received a shock when he hit the icy waters, and when he failed to swim back to the boat, the coastguard was alerted.
The general consensus was Bingo was a goner, until he was found cold and quivering, but otherwise in good shape, outside a vineyard on the island the next morning.
Not all dogs were friendly in 2007, when a raft of attacks - many on children - prompted another review of dog control legislation.
In April, Virginia Ohlson, 56, was mauled to death by a pitbull and Staffordshire cross owned by her nephew, in Murupara, south of Rotorua.
The former volunteer ambulance officer had been taking a morning walk when the two unregistered dogs attacked her.
Her nephew, Shane Rurehe, 43, was later sentenced to 18 months in jail, after an attempt at restorative justice failed.
In August, a horrifying attack reminiscent of that on 7-year-old Carolina Anderson in an Auckland park in 2003 - which led to an overhaul of dog legislation - saw 2-year-old Aotea Coxon savaged by a Staffordshire-cross in Jellie Park in Christchurch.
She received injuries requiring 290 stitches and a plate inserted into her broken jaw.
The attack on the toddler led to a public outcry, with many clamouring for stiffer laws governing dangerous breeds of dogs.
Among them was Prime Minister Helen Clark, who said dangerous dogs gave her "the creeps".
In October, the Government announced it would introduce legislation requiring menacing dogs to be neutered, and make the process of adding breeds to the banned import list more simple.
Overseas, 2007 was the year a fluffy polar bear, abandoned by his mother, stole the hearts of millions and became an international celebrity.
Knut was born in the Berlin Zoo in December 2006 with a twin brother, who later died.
His mother ignored him but zoo staff were eager to nurture the tiny bundle.
Within months, Knut's meteoric rise to fame had well and truly taken off.
The baby bear became a merchandising sensation, inspiring T-shirts, mugs, postcards, DVDs, books, keychains, and stuffed Knut bears. The public could not get enough, and Berlin Zoo boasted a profit of around $5 million.
Knut quashed any doubt he had reached the A-list when he graced the cover of Vanity Fair, posing with environmental campaigner and actor Leonardo DiCaprio. The photographer? Documentarian of stars, Annie Leibovitz.
However, proving there is always a dark side to fame, Knut was also the victim of some controversy, when some media outlets alleged he was responsible for the sudden demise of one of the zoo's older attractions, Chinese-born 22-year-old panda Yan Yan.
Yan Yan was found dead in her cage shortly after Knut made his public debut, sparking speculation the influx of visitors to see her cute neighbour had stressed the panda, and brought about her death.
Berlin Zoo strenuously denied the charges.
- NZPA
Herds put in the hard yards
Finance company collapses, rising property costs and petrol prices failed to quash consumer confidence in New Zealand, thanks mainly to the booming dairy economy.
Fonterra payouts to dairy farmers, forecast at more than $3 billion in the coming year, were evidence of the solid work being done by some of the country's most unassuming unsung heroes - the nation's herd of 5.2 million cows.
Yes, the bovine population of New Zealand was responsible for buoyant farmers, boosted consumer confidence all on top of quality milk, cheese and cream.
Quiet they may be, but they hold their place as some of the top homegrown heroes of the economy.
